By
Anastasia Ching
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Healthy lifestyle, regular doctor visits key for ovarian cancer prevention
Ovarian cancer - while not typically thought of as a threat to college-aged women - is a disease on students' minds since Bobbi Olson's death, bringing a call to female students to monitor their gynecological health closely.
Bobbi Olson, wife of University of Arizona's men's basketball coach Lute Olson, died last week after a two-and-a-half year battle with ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer is a disease in which malignant cancer cells are found in the ovaries, and mainly affects women between the ages of 35 and 74. Women over the age of 18 are still advised to take preventative measures early, though, with yearly gynecological visits, as well as an awareness of one's health, said Shelly Rozenberg, the community relations director for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.
"While ovarian cancer is certainly present in the younger population, it is not nearly as common as in women over the age of 60," Rozenberg said. "Since there are no really good screening protocols for ovarian cancer, it's a matter of women coming in for routine gynecological exams on a yearly basis and taking care of themselves."
Symptoms of ovarian cancer include pelvic or abdominal pain, gas, nausea, unexplained changes in bowel habits, frequency of urination in absence of an infection, painful intercourse and unexplained weight gain or loss.
However, as Dr. Jessica Byron, a gynecologist for UA Campus Health, warns, these symptoms are often misleading and could mimic many other afflictions.
"The symptoms can be vague and are often mistaken for bowel problems or ulcer problems," Byron said. "These can even be the same symptoms and pain associated with benign ovarian cysts - a common occurrence in younger women - so really, it's a matter of keeping track of persistent problems so that they can be further explored."
Byron also cautions that younger women with a hereditary history of ovarian cancer are at a higher risk than those without a family member who had or has the disease.
"There really is no definitive link between diet or even smoking and being afflicted with ovarian cancer," Byron said. "The only risk factor that seems to increase the chances of getting the disease tremendously - at a younger age and at all - is a family history of the cancer."
In terms of medical preventative methods, the use of oral contraception for at least five years has been shown to help, Byron said.
Paola Werstler, a health educator at the Arizona Cancer Center, sees a healthy lifestyle as an everyday preventative method for ovarian cancer and any other disease.
Tips for improving health and preventing disease include drinking plenty of water, increasing physical activity - at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the week - and eating a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables, Werstler said.
Werstler advised that these basic lifestyle changes can go a long way toward a healthy, disease-free life.
"Good health is more than the absence of disease - it's a state of wellness and vitality that enables us to enjoy all of life's pleasures, regardless of age," Werstler said. "Good health is dependent in a large part on good nutrition and regular physical activity."
